Flowers of Rain
by Christine Eponine Watson
Summary: Éponine survived the barricade along with a few of the revolutionaries. She always longed for Marius to love her, but if he finally did, would she still want him? What if she falls for someone else? E/É/M/C love quadrangle.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This little plot bunny just hopped into my head and I had to start writing. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue it yet. Please let me know what you think! It has aspects of the movie and play. This is my first Les Mis fanfic. I hope you like it! PLEASE REVIEW! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Les Mis, but I do own a copy of the DVD. Also, Eddie Redmayne and Aaron Tveit are** **MINE!**

* * *

_Marius was on top of the barricade with a barrel of gunpowder and a torch, completely blind to the guardsman who had a gun trained on him. "NO!" she yelled and jumped in front of Marius, taking the bullet meant for him._

_"Fall back!" Marius shouted at the guardsmen. "Fall back or I blow the barricade!" The guardsmen had the good sense to jump down. she had slumped to the ground, burning pain in her stomach. The next thing she knew, Marius's face was in her line of vision. "Éponine? What are you doing here?" She handed him the letter from Cosette._

_"I kept it from you," she said, trying to hid the severe pain from him. "It's from Cosette. I'm sorry." _

_"What have you done?" He asked, looking at her stomach with a hint of hysteria in his voice. She looked down and noticed that her hand had slipped from the wound._

_"Don't you fret, Monsieur Marius," she said with as much calm in her voice as possible. "I don't feel any pain. A little fall of rain can hardly hurt me now." Marius knelt and held her against him, making sure to not to hurt her any more than she already was. She looked into his eyes adoringly. "You're here, that's all I need to know. And you will keep me safe. And you will keep me close. And rain will make the flowers grow."_

_"But you will live, 'Ponine - dear god above," Marius half-whispered to her, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself than her. "If I could close your wounds with words of love."_

_She shook her head. "Just hold me now and let it be. Shelter me, comfort me."_

_"You would live a hundred years if I could show you how. I won't desert you now."_

_"The rain can't hurt me now. This rain will wash away what's passed. And you will keep me safe. And you will keep me close. I'll sleep in your embrace at last." She winced in pain. "This rain that brings you here is heaven-blessed. The skies begin to clear and I'm at rest. A breath away from where you are. I've come home from so far."_

_"Hush-a-bye, dear Éponine. You won't feel any pain. A little fall of rain can hardly hurt you now. I'm here."_

_"That's all I need to know."_

_"I will stay with you 'till you are sleeping," he said, tears falling down his cheeks. _

_"And rain will make the flowers," Éponine barely managed to choke out before closing her eyes._

_"Grow," Marius sobbed. He kissed the top of her head._

_Enjolras's eyes filled with tears, which he quickly brushed away. He couldn't let the others see him cry._

_"'Ponine?" Gavroche wailed, running to his sister's side and collapsing on top of her, his small body racked with sobs. _

* * *

My eyes fluttered open. I was staring at a white ceiling. I tried to sit up and get a better look around, but was immediately speared through the stomach by excruciating pain. A cry of pain escaped my lips as I collapsed back down onto the bed. That was when I realized that I was in a bed, the most wonderfully soft bed I had ever felt in my life. The blankets were red and felt like clouds, warm, wonderful clouds.

The door burst open and I saw something I never expected to see, Marius and Enjolras ran into the room looking frantically worried. I almost forgot the pain in my abdomen at the look on Enjolras's face. He looked genuinely concerned for me and his eyes were red and puffy as if he had been crying. _Surely he hasn't been crying for me? The marble man, worried about a Thénardier? That's not possible, right?_ I thought.

"'Ponine! You're awake!" Marius cried, rushing to my side and taking me hands. He looked as if he had been crying too. His dark her was an utter mess. Neither of them looked as if they had slept for a very long while. "We've been so worried about you!"

"Oui, Monsieur," I said between gasps. "What happened?"

"You were shot, 'Ponine," Marius said. It all came back to me, the barricade, the guardsman, jumping in front of Marius.

"Gav noticed that you were still breathing," Enjolras said, still standing a bit away from us, but looking slightly relieved. "Marius and I carried you here. Joly has been looking after you."

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Enjolras's apartment," Marius answered. "To be more specific, his bedroom." I blushed faintly at the thought of being in his bed.

"Where's Gav?" I asked.

"He's sleeping in the guest room," Enjolras replied. "He stayed awake for a few hours, never once leaving your side, but exhaustion claimed him about an hour ago."

I nodded and winced in pain. Even the smallest movement hurt. Marius and Enjolras both looked worried. "I'll go get Joly," Marius exclaimed, jumping up and running out of the room.

Enjolras and I stayed still for a moment in an uncomfortable silence. Suddenly he knelt by the bed and took my hand in his. "We were really worried about you, 'Ponine," he whispered, his grey eyes boring into mine. For some reason, I couldn't look away.

"I am sorry to have worried you, Monsieur," I replied.

Enjolras rolled his eyes. "Éponine, please call me Enjolras."

"Maybe, we'll see," I replied. He chuckled.

"You are so stubborn, 'Ponine," he said, mildly exasperated.

"As are you, _Monsieur._" He chuckled again.

Marius and Joly walked into the room. "How are you feeling, Éponine?" Joly asked as he took Enjolras's place at my side.

I took a deep breath and winced. "I've been better, Joly."

"Wait, we're 'Monsieur,' but he's Joly?" Marius asked, a look of mock insult in his eyes.

"Oui, Monsieur," I mocked.

Joly removed the blanket and I noticed that I was wearing a man's shirt and trousers. They were surprisingly comfortable. Joly turned to Marius and Enjolras. "You two should leave, I need to check Éponine's wound."

They nodded, both blushing slightly, and left.

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**Author's Note: So, What do you think? Please review. I want to know if it's good enough for me to continue!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: I never expected such a wonderful reaction to this story! Thank you so much everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this! You guys are the most amazing people ever! I'm really glad that you like it so much!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing Les Mis related, with the exception of Aaron Tveit and Eddie Redmayne, belongs to me. :'(**

* * *

After Joly checked and cleaned my injury, Enjolras and Marius returned to my bedside. Marius joked with me and teased me, but Enjolras seemed almost shy. He had never acted that way before and it confused me. After a while, Garoche ran into the room shouting, "'Ponine! You're awake!" He then jumped on the bed and hugged me. He let me go after he felt me wince in pain. "Sorry, 'Ponine, I forgot you were hurt." He looked sheepish.

"It's okay, Gav," I said with a joking tone of voice. "I'm a big tough girl, I'll be alright."

"Never scare me like that ever again," he scolded.

"I thought I was the older sibling," I mumbled, eliciting a chuckle from Enjolras and Marius.

"He's right, 'Ponine," Marius said. "I don't know how I would live without you."

I blushed. I had always wanted Marius to say that to me. "I'm sure you would survive," I told him. Just then, my stomach grumbled and I realized that I hadn't eaten in quite a while.

"You're hungry, 'Ponine," Marius observed. "I'll go ask Mme Beausoleil to get you something to eat." He rushed out of the room.

"Who?" I asked Enjolras.

"My housekeeper," he replied. I nodded my understanding.

In no time at all, Marius returned, grinning ear to ear, with a woman close at his heels. She was a plump, older woman with greying brown hair and a kind smile. She was holding a bowl of soup on a small tray. My stomach growled louder. "Here you go, Mademoiselle," she said, depositing the tray on my lap. I ate greedily. The soup was better than any food I had eaten in a very long time.

"Merci beaucoup, Madame," I said to her when I finished.

"You're very welcome, Mademoiselle," she replied with a smile. "And please call me Sylvie."

"Only if you call me Éponine," I said, grinning. I glanced at Marius and Enjolras, both of whom rolled their eyes. I loved teasing them.

"Deal," Sylvie said. I heard a knock on the door. "I'll go get that," Sylvie announced while bustling out of the door.

"I wonder who that could be," Marius mused. "Maybe it's-" He was cut off as a blonde ran into the room and practically threw herself into his arms. I recognized her immediately and grimaced. It was Cosette.

"Oh Marius, darling you're alright!" Cosette exclaimed with tears streaming dow her face. "I was so worried!" She kissed him. Enjolras looked first at Marius and Cosette angrily, then at me with worry in his eyes, but I was to busy watching Marius and Cosette to notice. My eyes started stinging with tears.

Marius looked confused. "I'm alright, Cosette," he said, stroking her hair. "Have you heard any news from the barricade?"

Cosette started crying again. "They're all dead," she sobbed. "All of them! It was horrible!" Marius stroked her hair comfortingly.

I hadn't noticed that Enjolras had moved until I felt him squeeze my hand. I met his gaze. "I can't believe it," I whispered.

"I know," he said, tears in his eyes. I was shocked, he was showing an unprecedented amount of emotion as of late.

"Even Courfeyrac?" Gavroche half-whispered. Courfeyrac and Gav had become very close friends and were almost inseparable. Cosette nodded.

"I'm so sorry, Gav," I said to him. He started to cry.

"We should let Éponine rest," Enjolras said, sounding concerned. "All of this sorrow can't be good for her." Marius nodded and led Cosette out of the room. Enjolras looked me in the eyes. "Shout if you need anything."

"Enjolras," I whispered as he was leaving. He turned around and looked at me.

"Yes, 'Ponine?"

I closed my eyes. "Don't go." He nodded and sat on the edge of the bed.

* * *

**Author's note: And on that depressing note, I'm afraid I must leave you for now. Please review. Constructive criticism is welcome! Thank you for reading! Sorry it's so short, I have a ton of homework to do! I'll try to update as soon as possible! I have writer's block, PLEASE GIVE ME IDEAS!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I wanted to write more so here it is! Please review! Also, I could seriously use ideas! PLEASE review! Thank you so very very much for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I own only Sylvie Beausoleil, Aaron Tveit, and Eddie Redmayne, everything else Les Mis belongs to Victor Hugo.**

* * *

"Are you alright, 'Ponine?" Enjolras asked me.

"Are you really asking that, considering everything that just happened?" I asked with a roll of my eyes.

"True," he said with a slight chuckle.

"May I ask you a few questions?" I asked him.

"Of course."

"How long has it been since the barricade?"

"About a day," he replied. I stared at him in shock.

"I've been asleep for a whole day?" He nodded. I hadn't slept for more than three hours at a time since I was a little girl and my parents were kind to me. "What happened that night?" He closed his eyes and looked as if the answer pained him.

"You jumped in front of Marius-" he began, but I interrupted him.

"I remember that part," I said. "What happened after I passed out?" He opened his eyes and looked me in the eyes.

"Marius was holding you, sobbing," he said, a faraway look in his eyes as if he was re-living it." Gav ran over to you. He noticed that you were still breathing." Enjolras took a deep breath. I noticed he had tears in his eyes. "Marius and I carried you here with Joly in tow and Gav holding your hand." Tears started running down my cheeks.

"Why?" I asked. Enjolras looked startled, as if he almost forgot where he was.

"Why what?" he asked, looking genuinely perplexed.

"Why did you save me? I mean, why not let someone else carry me away? I know that you wouldn't have wanted to leave the barricade."

"I couldn't let you die," he whispered. "I..." he began, looking like there was something he really wanted to tell me. Then he stood up. "I should let you rest." Enjolras all but flew out of the room, leaving me more confused than ever.

* * *

Soon after Enjolras left me with more questions than answers, I fell asleep. I was woken by a knock on the door.

"Come in," I said groggily. Sylvie entered.

"How are you feeling, Éponine?" she asked me.

"I'm feeling much better, so long as I don't move." I replied. She nodded.

"I brought you one of my daughter's dresses," she said, motioning to a bundle in her hands. "It's high time you got out of Enjolras's clothing and into something more comfortable."

"Merci, Sylvie," I said with a smile. She unwrapped the bundle. I gasped. Inside was the most beautiful lilac-colored dress I had ever seen. I almost didn't want to touch it for fear of ruining it with my dirty hands. I looked at my hands and noticed that they were clean, no dirt whatsoever. The rest of me was the same, spotless for the first time in I don't know how long. Sylvie saw my astonished expression and giggled.

"Joly told me that your wound needed cleaning," she explained. "I figured that the rest of you should be clean as well."

"Oh, Sylvie, I cannot thank you enough!" I exclaimed, any shyness at the thought of her bathing me was forgotten because of her kindness.

"No thanks necessary, Éponine," she beamed. "Now, can you stand?" I tried to move, but was stopped by the pain. "Here, let me help you." Very carefully, with her supporting most of my weight, which is not saying much, I managed to stand. My legs were a little weak, but we managed to get my clothing changed. The new dress was amazing. It was as soft as velvet and flowed like water when I moved. I forgot the pain and twirled, in awe of the dress, but my legs didn't agree with the idea. I collapsed on the floor.

The next thing I knew, I was lying in the bed again and Marius was holding my hand with Enjolras pacing behind him. When Marius saw that I had opened my eyes, he sighed with relief.

"'Ponine, you're awake!" he exclaimed. Enjolras stopped pacing and looked at me with relief in his eyes and a smile on his lips. I was mesmerized by the utter happiness in those beautiful grey eyes. I smiled in response a _What are you thinking, Éponine? _I thought to myself. _Marius is worrying about you, and you are thinking about Enjolras._ I was very confused."We were so worried about you!" Marius announced.

"Don't you fret about me, Monsieur Marius, I don't feel any pain," I assured him.

"The last time you said that, you nearly died!" he protested.

"True," I conceded, smiling at him. Something flashed in Enjolras's eyes when I smiled at Marius. Something like, pain? _But, that would be ridiculous. _My mind protested. _Why would you smiling at Marius upset him?_

"You should sleep," Marius said.

"Sleep," I grumbled. "Everyone keeps telling me to sleep." Marius laughed.

"That's because you need to sleep to heal, 'Ponine," he explained, kissing my forehead. My cheeks grew warm. "Just holler if you need anything." I nodded, my eyes growing heavy. The two men left the room and I soon allowed exhaustion to claim me.

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**Author's Note: So, what do you think? Please please please review! Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: So, I haven't gotten any comments in a while (a while being a relative term and in this situation is measured by chapters published) and that makes me sad. I really love hearing from you. It honestly brightens my day. Please (I know that I'm starting to sound really needy, but I'm still kind of wavering on this story and I could seriously use your ideas) review or PM me! You have no idea how much your feedback means to me! Thanks for reading this and I hope you enjoy the new chapter! Oh, just so you know, occasionally I'm going to start a chapter with a dream/flashback sequence which will be italicized. I did that in the first chapter, in case you were wondering.**

**Disclaimer: You can't even imagine how much I want to be able to say that Les Mis is mine, but it's not. Aaron Tveit and Eddie Redmayne, however, are mine. They may not know it yet, but they belong to me.**

* * *

_"She's alive!" Gavroche cried, jumping off of his sister. The rest of Les Amis de l'ABC looked at him confusedly. "Éponine's still alive!"_

_Enjolras knelt down next to the girl his friend still clung to and checked her pulse. It was weak, but still there. His eyes widened with surprise and glittered with hope. "He's right, Éponine's alive!" he exclaimed in awe. "We need to get her somewhere warm and dry quickly. Marius," he addressed his friend, authority and command dripping from his voice, "help me carry her." Marius nodded. The pair lifted the limp girl from the ground with as much care as possible. "Joly," Enjolras addressed the medical student, "Come with us. We'll need you if she's to have any chance whatsoever."Joly quickly stood. The three of them began to trot away from the barricade, but were stopped by a shout._

_"WAIT!" Gavroche yelled at the small group. "I'm coming with you!" Enjolras looked at the determined eleven year old and nodded. The boy ran up and grabbed his sister's hand, keeping pace with the older men._

_The procession quickly arrived at their destination, Enjolras's apartment. The apartment was not huge, but it was definitely not small. It was neat and organized, but if you looked closely, there was an undertone chaos and creativity, much like the man himself. _

_Enjolras led them to his bedroom and they placed the injured girl on the sheets. Joly, who had brought his bag of medical supplies with him, began working on the wound immediately. Soon, the girl was breathing a bit more deeply and the wound was not bleeding as profusely. Enjolras carefully tucked her under the covers, making certain she was warm and comfortable. _

_"Is there anything else we can do for her?" Enjolras asked Joly, brushing away a loose strand of hair from her face without once taking his eyes off of her sleeping form. Joly shook his head._

_"What she needs most right now is rest," he answered. Enjolras nodded._

_"I'll watch over her," He said. "Just in case she awakes or anything changes."_

_"I'm stayin' too," Gavroche chimed in. "I'll not leave her."_

_The other two left them in silence, neither wanting to disturb ____Éponine's slumber. She looked at peace for the first time in more years than anyone cared to remember. _

___After a while, even Gavroche had to leave to get some sleep, leaving Enjolras alone with the invalid. He rose from the chair in which he was sitting and knelt by her side. The tears he had not allowed to fall before began pouring down his cheeks at the sight of her injured body. He stroked her cheek._

___"Don't leave me, 'Ponine," he whispered, his voice strained with emotion. "I love you."_

___Little did he know that Joly had softly opened the door to check on his patient and had heard the whole thing. Joly closed the door as silently as he had opened it and returned to the couch on which he had been resting. His mind was whirling. _Enjolras, in love?_ he mused. _Well, this could be interesting.

* * *

I woke up to the smell of breakfast. I made a move to get up, but was stopped by Marius pushing me back down on the bed gently. When I began to protest, he said, "No, 'Ponine. Joly said that you are on complete bed-rest until you are better."

My response was to grumble incoherently. He laughed.

"I'll go get you some breakfast," he announced.

Very shortly afterwards, he returned with a tray of crépes, eggs, sausage, cheese, and bread, and lots of each of them. I realized how very hungry I was and scarfed it all down, not caring that Marius watched me with a grin on his face at my horrible manners. It was all heavenly. When I finished eating, I realized that he had been watching and blushed.

"God, 'Ponine, we need to feed you more often!" Marius joked. I blushed even deeper.

"Would you thank Sylvie for me, please?" I asked, hoping to change the subject and spare myself more embarrassment. "Tell her the food was incredible."

"Of course," he said and left the room. A few moments later, Enjolras stepped through the door.

"How are you feeling, 'Ponine?" he inquired with concern in his voice.

"Much better," I answered.

"I'm very glad," he responded, beaming. His grey eyes lit up when he smiled. It made him ridiculously handsome. His lips were just begging to be kissed. _Woah, 'Ponine, where did that come from? _I thought to myself, taken aback by the turn my thoughts had taken. I blushed."Is anything wrong, 'Ponine?" he asked, confused by my blush.

"Nothing," I lied, wishing that my blush would go away and never bother me again. I was sure he saw through my bluff. "So, how are you today, Enjolras?" I asked, hoping to change the subject. He flashed me another brilliant smile.

"I'm very well now that you're feeling better." It was his turn to blush. "I mean, er, I'm very well, thank you."

We sat in an awkward, yet not exactly uncomfortable, silence for a while. He stood up. "I should probably go check on that thing..."

"What? Is the great revolutionary having trouble finding his tongue?" I teased. It made him smile and his blush recede.

"No, I'm pretty sure that it's still in my mouth," he retorted. "But you can check if you don't believe me." I raised an eyebrow. When he realized what he had said, he blushed as red as his favorite jacket. "I didn't mean-"

"It's okay, I understand," I assured him, smiling at his mortified expression. "I was only teasing." He smiled.

"You are such a tease, 'Ponine!" he laughed.

"I know," I stated. "But would you have me any other way?"

He looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite understand, but it was gone before I could ponder its meaning, replaced by a smile. "I suppose not," he conceded.

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**Author's Note: Please review, I really love reading your thoughts and opinions! Also, I seriously need ideas, I'm kind of stuck, so if you want this to continue, please review with ideas!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: The number of views for this story has officially exceeded 700! I wish that I could thank each and every person who is showing me support with this story individually! Thank you all so much, you guys are positively amazing! All of your reviews inspire me to keep writing and just generally brighten my day. Also, just a warning, this story is not going to follow the original exactly. I will be changing some things up. I hope you enjoy them! Finally, sorry for not updating recently, I have had a lot of homework ALL WEEK and my focus has been all but nonexistent! It's ridiculous!**

**Any Marius fans, I'm really sorry, but I'm making him a bit ridiculous. I love Marius, and this is the only way I can feel better about messing with him. Please forgive me! If you don't like what I'm doing to Marius, I'm posting a Marius and Éponine fanfic soon. (I know, I'm not very smart to be working on three fanfics at once, but I couldn't resist.)**

**Disclaimer: Victor Hugo owns almost everything. I own Sylvie. As I say on every chapter, I also own Aaron Tveit and Eddie Redmayne... (One day... They WILL be mine!)**

* * *

_~Six months before the barricade~_

___Éponine and Marius were walking side by side through the streets of Paris, in the midst of a lively debate about intelligence versus education. "Just because I don't have an education does _not___ mean that I'm not smart," __Éponine argued._

_____Marius stopped walking and stared at her. "I never said you were unintelligent, 'Ponine," Marius objected. _

_____"I know, Monsieur," __Éponine said, becoming more agitated. "You never said it to my face, but I know_ that you think it." She continued walking, but was stopped by Marius grabbing her arm and forcing her to look at him, which she didn't want to do because she was close to tears.

_"That is not true and you know it," he said almost whispering, his voice was so gentle. At his obvious concern for her, Éponine couldn't help but smile. Marius smiled back at her, that brilliant smile of his that turned her knees to jelly. "You know, I could teach you to read, if you'd like," he suggested._

___Éponine was going to refuse, but changed her mind because reading lessons meant that she would get to spend more time with Marius. "I suppose..." she said, hesitantly. __Marius smiled again and grabbed her hand. _

_"We should start our lessons tomorrow," he said._

_____Éponine smiled. "I would like that."_

_The duo continued on their way, finally reaching the café._

_Éponine was so preoccupied with Marius's hand in hers to notice that she had entered the café even though she normally waited for Marius outside. When he let go of her hand, she was confused by the unfamiliar surroundings. She looked down at the ground figuring it was too late to escape to the streets and Marius led her to a crowded table. _

_"'Ponine, this is Courfeyrac, Joly, Bahorel, Combeferre, Grantaire-" Marius was interrupted in his introductions by Grantaire dramatically, and semi-drunkenly, bowing to ____________________Éponine and saying, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma'am." Marius laughed and continued the introductions. "__Feuilly, Jean Prouvaire, Lesgles, and-" Marius paused, looking around the room until he saw the man he was looking for, "Enjolras, our fearless leader. Mes amis, this is my dear friend, __Éponine." When Enjolras heard his name, he looked up from his book and joined the_ _group_.

* * *

A few days passed. I was recovering quickly, faster than anticipated, according to Joly. I spent some time with Marius, but he was often with Cosette. His visits to her were becoming slightly less frequent. My most frequent visitor, surprisingly, was Enjolras and our friendship was becoming stronger. We had many heated debates, most of them about politics and poverty, but some of them were about insignificant things. When I was finally allowed to get up from the bed, we strolled in the park. I was seeing a completely different side of him than I had ever known existed before the barricade. This new Enjolras was kind, caring, and all too easy to embarrass. I had a lot of fun teasing him.

On one of our many outings, we were sitting on a bench beneath a tree and having a heated debate over the practicality of wearing dresses. Obviously, since he has never worn a dress, I was winning the argument.

"If I could just go around all day in trousers instead of a dress, I would be much happier," I said. "Trousers are much more comfortable."

"If you would prefer to wear trousers, why don't you?" he inquired.

"Well, for starters, I would probably startle Sylvie out of her mind," I countered, eliciting a chuckle from Enjolras.

"Touché," he conceded. "If, by your arguments, trousers are better than dresses, why are you the only woman I have ever met who would prefer to wear trousers?" he asked.

"How many women have you spoken with in your life?" I countered. "Two? Three?" Enjolras laughed.

"I suppose you win this argument," Enjolras admitted. "But, you do look much prettier in a dress than trousers." After he said it, he immediately blushed a bit. I looked at him.

"You really think so?" I whispered. He nodded, not looking me in the eye. I blushed too. We sat in a mildly embarrassed silence for a bit.

Enjolras opened his mouth as if to say something, when suddenly Marius appeared, startling the both of us. His eyes were red-rimmed as if he had been crying. "Marius, what's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"Sh-she le-left!" Marius sobbed.

"Cosette?" I asked. Marius nodded. "Why?"

"I-I don't know," he wailed. "She left m-me this no-note." He handed me a tear-stained envelope. It was adressed to "My beloved Marius". I opened it.

_Marius,_

_I am so sorry, but I must leave. Papa and I are headed to England, he won't tell me why. All he said was we have to leave, and soon. I do not know if I will ever be able to return. I will write to often, my love._

_Your Cosette_

When I finished it, I looked up at Marius. "That is very strange," I said, confused. Part of me was leaping with joy, but another part didn't feel anything one way or the other. I looked at Enjolras, who had his uncaring façade back in place. For some reason, that affected me more than the letter had. "I'm sorry that she left, Marius."

Enjolras's mask slipped and he looked surprised. Marius threw his arms around me and cried while I whispered soothing words to him. Marius looked up at me. "Thanks, 'Ponine," he said. "You're a great friend."

"You're welcome."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: I got an idea, so here's another chapter! Also, the number of views has exceeded 1000! I dedicate this chapter to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! You guys are so supportive and wonderful! If I could, I would give you all hugs! I would have posted this chapter sooner, but SOMEONE *cough* mom *cough* kicked me off of their computer. **

**Disclaimer: Sylvie, Aaron Tveit, and Eddie Redmayne belong to me. The rest, sadly, is not mine. Well, most of the scenarios are, though.**

* * *

Marius went back to his apartment to sulk over Cosette, but Enjolras and I stayed in the park. We sat in silence for a while. Enjolras seemed very confused and kept looking as if he was about to say something, but didn't. After a while, I got fed up with the silence. "If there's something you want to say, Enjolras, just say it," I said, exasperated.

"Why are you not crying?" he asked.

It was one of those moments where, had I been drinking something, I would have choked on it. "Beg pardon?"

"Well, everyone knows," a flash of pain crossed his face, "everyone _knew_ that you have feelings for Marius."

My face felt like it was on fire. _Everyone knew that I loved Marius!_ _Whoa, did I just think "love" to Marius in the past tense?_ I thought. "I'm that easy to read, huh?" I asked.

"Only a little," he said, smiling at me. I realized how incredibly handsome he was when he smiled. It made me want to lean in and kiss him. _Wait, now you want to kiss Enjolras? What is happening to you 'Ponine?_ I sincerely hoped that he couldn't read those thoughts.

I remembered what we were talking about and decided to answer his initial question. "I don't know. I don't feel as strongly towards him anymore." I shrugged, looking away from his very kissable mouth.

Enjolras's expression looked like a mixture of confusion, hope, nervousness, and something else I still couldn't name. "You don't?" he asked, his eyes searching mine. I gulped and nodded. I decided that the grass was a much safer thing to look at than him at the moment. "Do you know why?" he inquired softly.

"I-I'm not quite sure," I stuttered.

Rain started falling. We had been so wrapped up in our conversation that we hadn't notice the clouds come in and the park emptied out. I looked up into the sky through the tree branches. The last time it had rained like that, I had been close to dying in Marius's arms. I shivered. Enjolras noticed my shiver and handed me his jacket.

"I'm fine, Enjolras, I don't need your jacket," I protested. He rolled his eyes.

"Please wear it, that dress you're wearing doesn't look very warm."

True enough, my dress was not very warm, but it was warmer than any I had worn for quite some time. I was about to argue some more, but I remembered that he was just as stubborn as I and the argument would probably last all night. "Fine," I muttered, reluctantly accepting the jacket. He flashed another one of his stunning smiles and helped me into the jacket. It smelled of him. _Geez, 'Ponine, __are you _smelling_ him now? What has gotten into you? _"Thanks."

"No problem," he said. "We should probably go home now." _Home? _I wondered. _His house certainly feels more like a home than anywhere else I've been in quite some time.__  
_

"About that," I said. "I hope I'm not too much of a bother-"

"Of course not, 'Ponine!" he exclaimed. I grinned at him thankfully. He grabbed my hand and my heart rate accelerated. We ran back to his apartment.

The apartment was much emptier than it had been since I woke up. Joly and Marius had very recently returned to their own homes, but visited frequently. It seemed that none of us really wanted to be alone with all that had happened at the barricade. Enjolras and I had managed to convince Gav to stay at Enjolras's apartment instead of returning to the streets, so it was the three of us and Sylvie. Sylvie had pretty much become a replacement mother to Gav and me. That evening, Sylvie was visiting a friend and Gav was asleep on the couch when we returned. Once I could get up from the bed, I gave Enjolras his bedroom back and had been sleeping in the guest room.

Enjolras walked with me to the door of my room. I took off his jacket. "Goodnight, Enjolras," I said as I handed the soaking wet jacket back to its owner.

"Goodnight, Éponine," he whispered. The way he said my name made me feel special, like I was more than a street rat. I looked into his eyes and was trapped by his gaze. I couldn't have moved even had I wanted to as he slowly leaned towards me. When he kissed me, something surged through me. Soon, I was kissing him back passionately.

We broke apart when we heard someone clear their throat. "Geez you two, get a room," Gavroche said, grinning from ear to ear. Both Enjolras and I blushed scarlet.

"Goodnight," I said again. Enjolras nodded and walked away without meeting my eyes. Gav made kissy faces at me. I ignored him and closed the door.

* * *

**Author's Note: There you have it, folks, snogging! I'm very proud of this chapter. I hope you enjoy! As always, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Wow! The response to the previous chapter was amazing! I'm so happy that you all like it so much! Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, followed, and read! You are the best readers anyone could ask for! By the way, Happy Easter! I got lots of chocolate, so I'm hyped up and ready to write! Enjoy! I need opinons: I'm thinking about writing a chapter or section from Enjolras's perspective. What do you think? Leave a review or PM me!**

**Disclaimer: Same as every chapter. I'm really getting sick of these. **

* * *

After Enjolras returned to his own bedroom, I couldn't fall asleep for hours. I kept thinking about Enjolras and the kiss. I had felt like I was on fire, slowly burning alive, yet powerless to stop it. For a man who had probably never looked at a girl twice, he was an amazing kisser. I could still feel his lips on mine for hours afterwards. When I finally managed to fall asleep, all I dreamed about was him, his smile, the expression on his face when he was giving a speech about the revolution, and the look in his eyes as he bent down to kiss me. I woke up in the morning longing for him to kiss me again.

I realized that I just might be falling for him.

After about an hour of pacing in my room and over-analyzing my feelings, I smelled breakfast and slowly padded out of the room. I walked into the kitchen, expecting to see Sylvie making breakfast. What I saw instead was a shirtless Enjolras cooking eggs. He looked even more like a Grecian god than ever. I realized that I was gawking at him and quickly closed my mouth. He noticed that I was there and gave me one of those blinding smiles of his that made my knees weak.

"Bon matin, 'Ponine," he casually said, with only a mild blush making him even more irresistible. _Geez, 'Ponine. _I thought. _The man only kissed you once and you're acting like a silly love-sick schoolgirl. _

I snapped myself out of my reverie. "Bon matin, Enjolras," I finally managed to reply. "Where's Sylvie?"

"She's taking the day off," he explained. "She said that she'd be back later to take you dress shopping."

"I'm fine," I protested. "I don't need any more clothes. One dress is enough for me."

"It wasn't my idea," he shrugged. "I'm just telling you what she told me. Here, have some breakfast." He handed me a plate of eggs and fruit.

"Thanks," I said kind of awkwardly since I was thinking about kissing him again. We sat down at the table and ate in silence.

I finished eating and was about to leave, when Enjolras spoke. "About last night," he began. I turned around and he was blushing. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

I started blushing too. "I know."

"But that doesn't mean I didn't want to." I stared at him. He was looking at the floor. I was searching for something to say, when Gav walked in.

"Mornin', lovebirds!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

"GAV!" I said, blushing even more. He just continued grinning mischievously.

"Don't deny anything, 'Ponine," he mocked. "That was some intense kissing last night." Enjolras was blushing too at that point. "Has there been any more kissing?" Gav waggled his eyebrows.

"GAVROCHE!" I groaned.

"So there has?" he asked, smirking.

"No, there hasn't!" I exclaimed.

"Uh huh," he rolled his eyes. "Sure."

"I'm serious, Gav!"

"Well, do you _want_ to kiss him again?" he asked. I blushed even an even deeper red. Gav raised an eyebrow. "So you _do, _'Ponine!" he chirped. I never knew I could blush so much. "Well then, I think I'll just leave for a bit..." With that, he grabbed an apple and left the room.

Enjolras and I were staring at the floor, still mortified by Gav's teasing. There was a knock on the door and Enjolras went to answer it.

Sylvie walked into the kitchen. "Bon matin, Éponine!" she said happily.

"Bon matin, Sylvie," I responded with a smile.

"I'm sure Enjolras has already told you about my plans for today," she said.

"He has, but it's really not necessary," I explained. "I only need one dress-"

"Nonsense," she said, cutting me off. "A girl needs more than one dress! You also need nightgowns, shoes, and undergarments." I blushed when she mentioned the undergarments, since Enjolras was in the room. He blushed as well.

"I guess it would be okay," I consented. I was not one of those girls whose heads were only full of shopping and boys, but even I had to admit that new clothing would be nice.

"Perfect!" Sylvie beamed. "We'll be back soon, Enjolras." He nodded. Sylvie ushered me out the door.

* * *

A couple hours and several shops later, I owned four dresses including the first one Sylvie gave me, new undergarments, a pair of shoes without any holes, and two nightgowns. I was wearing one of the new dresses. It was midnight blue with silver trim that made me feel like a fairy princess. When we walked in to the apartment, Enjolras was sitting on the couch reading. This time he was fully clothed. He looked up when he heard the door open. When I walked in, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. I blushed. Sylvie noticed the direction of his gaze and smiled. "Isn't she beautiful?" she asked him.

Enjolras nodded. "She's stunning," he whispered, smiling at me. I blushed.

"Thank you," I said. He nodded, still gawking at me. Sylvie went to put the bags of clothing in my room. Enjolras stood and walked over to me.

"I meant what I said," he told me in barely a whisper. "You are stunningly beautiful."

"Th-thank you," I stammered, still blushing. I looked into his eyes and was having an incredibly hard time resisting the urge to kiss him. He had the same look in his eyes as he had the night before. This time, I stood on my toes and kissed him. He looked surprised at first, but soon we were kissing passionately again. My arms were wrapped around his neck and his were wrapped around my waist. The rest of the world melted away.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: I'm so glad that so many people like this story! I love writing it! I still want your opinions on whether or not to write a chapter from Enjolras's perspective. Please review or PM me with your opinion on this. PLEASE tell me what you think! If I'm going to write one, it will be the next, so please respond soon. I always love hearing from you! It makes my day each and every time! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Les Mis is not mine. Sylvie is mine. So are Aaron Tveit and Eddie Redmayne.**

* * *

_~Six months before the barricade~_

_Enjolras had joined his friends after he heard his name. He was surprised by a dark haired girl standing next to Marius. Despite the layer of grime and dirt caking her skin, she was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. "Enjolras, this is my best friend, Éponine," Marius said to him. By the way Éponine looked up at Marius with obvious adoration in her eyes, even Enjolras could tell that she was in love with him. Marius, oblivious to her feelings, just looked at her as a friend. _

_Enjolras watched as Éponine talked to his friends. She was shy at first, but once she became comfortable with them, he could see that she was very opinionated and stubborn, much like himself. He also noticed that she did not want other people's pity, despite the hardships she must face every day. Courfeyrac had offered a place for her to stay the night, but she refused. "I can take care of meself," she had responded, indignantly. Enjolras found himself liking her, despite his usual "no girls" policy._

* * *

Our second kiss was ended in much the same way our first was. Sylvie, having walked out of my room, saw us kissing and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry for interrupting," she said with a smirk. Enjolras and I stepped apart and blushed. "I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to leave for the rest of the day. My daughter, Aurore, is visiting with her husband and new baby. They're only staying for today and tomorrow. I haven't seen her since she got married."

"By all means," Enjolras told her. "Send Aurore my congratulations." Sylvie nodded. After she had left, Enjolras turned back to me with a glint in his beautiful grey eyes. "I really wish people would stop interrupting us like this." He grinned at me.

I laughed. "I agree."

We stood awkwardly, neither of us knowing what to say, but both knowing we would have to talk about it sooner or later. We were saved for the time being by a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Enjolras asked.

"It's Joly. I'm here to check on Éponine."

Enjolras opened the door. I was still blushing from our encounter with Sylvie. When Joly saw how flushed I was, he became concerned.

"What have you two been up to?" he asked, checking my pulse and temperature. I couldn't help it, I burst into a fit of giggling.

"Nothing," Enjolras said, a small smile on his lips. Joly looked unconvinced. "really, Joly, nothing happened." This only made my blush deepen. Joly noticed and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more on the subject.

* * *

After a brief and only mildly embarrassing check up, I was declared perfectly healthy and well on the way to full recovery. Joly decided that the time without Enjolras in the room was the perfect time to question me on what really happened.

"Nothing happened, Joly," I maintained, trying to sound convincing. It didn't work.

"Éponine, I know that something happened and I swear to god that unless you tell me what it is, I'm going to assume that you're getting sick again and put you back on bed rest!" he vowed. I gasped.

"Enjolras kissed me," I whispered, "and I kissed him back." Instead of being shocked as I had assumed he would, Joly started grinning.

"Well it's about time!" he exclaimed. I looked at him confusedly then realized that he was talking to himself more than to me at that point. "I need to talk to Enjolras!" With that he left the room.

* * *

**Author's Note: Please review! I love hearing what you have to say about the story! I think I know where I want to go with this, but I'm not quite sure yet. Ideas would be most welcome! If there's something you want to see happen in the story, please let me know in a review or PM. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Guess what? Over 2000 views! You guys are amazing! Thank you so much for reading! Also, I got no responses as to whether or not to write a chapter from Enjolras's point of view... We'll see what happens. I still want to know what you think of that idea! I know that the timeline is a bit off in my story, but I chose to make it that way. As I said before, it's not the exact same plot, but follows the plot of the movie/play for the most part. This chapter is just going to be a glimpse back in time. I figured that it had to be done sooner or later. Sorry if you had been looking forward to more snogging! I promise it will come in the next chapter!  
**

**Disclaimer: Sylvie is a creation of my imagination as are her family. The rest of the characters belong to Victor Hugo. **

* * *

_~Five months before the barricade~_

_Éponine watched as Marius and Enjolras were giving a speech about the failing health of General Lamarque. Even though she loved Marius, she had to admit that Enjolras was a much more inspirational speaker. Over the course of the month after she had met Les Amis de l'ABC, she had become very close to them and was considered an essential member of their group. She had become particularly close to Enjolras, a feat that shocked and confused most of Les Amis. She attended their many rallies and speeches. After such events, she often spoke with Enjolras and told him her impressions and what she thought he should do differently the next time. _

_The crowd began to disperse and Éponine made her way towards her friends. When she finally reached them, she tried to get Marius's attention, but he was preoccupied with something across the street. Éponine followed his gaze and her heart sank. Staring back at Marius was an angelic blonde. She had huge blue eyes, rosy cheeks, perfect pink lips, and porcelain skin. She wore perfect, new, fashionable clothing. In short, she was the exact opposite of Éponine. There was something disturbingly familiar about that girl._

_"__Éponine!" she heard her father call. She turned her head in the direction of his voice, saw him motioning for her to go to him, and very unwillingly obeyed. Her father was planning a scam on some unwitting person and was assigning everyone in his gang, the Patron-Minette, different roles. "You, Montparnasse, watch for the law with __Éponine, take care!"_

_______Éponine stationed herself as a lookout as far away from Montparnasse as possible. She stopped paying attention to everything other than her duty. If she let her mind wander, all she would think of would be the look Marius and the girl had been sharing, the same look she gave Marius every day, that of love. That line of thought was just too painful. Soon, she spotted a police officer. She turned back to her father and the rest of the gang. "It's the police!" she hissed. "Disappear! Run for it! IT'S JAVERT!" Her voice became louder and more frantic with every sentence._

_______Her message delivered, __Éponine hid herself in the shadows. She saw the girl who had been staring at Marius flee with the man her father had been harassing. Javert looked confused. "But where's the gentleman gone?" Javert mused to himself. "Why on Earth did he run?" _

___________Éponine's father responded. "You will have a job to find him, he's not all he seems to be. And that girl he trails behind him is the child he stole from me!" At her father's words, __Éponine realized why the girl was so familiar._

_____________"Cosette, now I remember!" she muttered to herself in shock. "Cosette! How can it be? We were children together. Look what's become of me." The last part, she had said almost sarcastically._

_____________Marius materialized next to her. "__Éponine, who was that girl?" he asked._

_______________"That bourgois two-a-penny thing?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.__  
_

_______________"__Éponine, find her for me!" he all but begged._

_________________"What will you give me?" she inquired, playfully._

_________________"Anything!" he exclaimed excitedly._

_________________"Got you all excited now, but god knows what you see in her," she teased him. "Aren't you all delighted now?" Marius tried to hand her money and she pushed it away. "No, I don't want your money,_ Sir_." She tried to walk away, hurt and angry that he thought so badly of her, but he grabbed her arm. She stared at the spot where they were in contact._

_"__Éponine, do this for me?" he implored her. "Discover where she lives. But, careful how you go. Don't let your father know." __Éponine looked at him adoringly. "'Ponine, I'm lost until she's found!" __Éponine felt her heart break._

_______"You see, I told you so," she said, putting on a brave face. "There's lots of things I know. 'Ponine, she knows her way around." She watched as Marius hurried away happily. After he disappeared, she rushed off to find the girl who had shattered her dreams. _

_______Enjolras had watched the entire exchange. He was disgusted by how blind Marius was to __Éponine's feelings. Marius was an oblivious cad. __Éponine deserved better. She deserved someone who could tell her every day how amazing she was. Someone who cared about her, not some blonde he just met on the street. Someone like..._ What are you thinking, Enjolras? _he thought to himself. __He shook his head and ran off to the cafe._


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: I finally got a response about a chapter from Enjolras's perspective, so here you are!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Victor Hugo.**

* * *

~Enjolras~

I paced in front of the door to Éponine's room. _I can't believe I kissed her! _I thought. _What's more, I can't believe she kissed me!_ The kisses we had shared were the most amazing experiences in my life. I felt like I had been hit by thousands of volts of electricity, but without pain. At least, without any unpleasant pain. It was the most wonderfully excruciating sensation. All I wanted was to kiss her again. Hell, I never wanted to _stop_ kissing her. Her lips were so soft, like fresh rose petals. We had fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. I had never felt anything like it. So there I was, the powerful revolutionary leader, wearing a trench in the floor outside of an injured girl's door, waiting impatiently for a chance to kiss her again. It felt like I was waiting for eons. Finally, the door opened and Joly emerged. I was about to push my way past him and either talk or kiss Éponine, I hadn't decided at that point, when Joly grabbed my arm and started dragging me in the direction of my bedroom.

"What the hell are you doing, Joly?" I complained, struggling against his grasp.

"You're not going anywhere, Enjolras," he declared. "We have to talk."

"Let me go!" I complained, sounding almost like a whining child. Joly smirked.

"Sorry, but that's not happening," he told me. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

I finally ceased my struggles when he dragged me into my bedroom and locked the door.

"So, you kissed Éponine?" he asked. My jaw dropped and I sat down on my bed.

"She told you?" I asked in a whisper. Joly nodded.

"So it's true!" he exclaimed. "I can't believe it! Enjolras kissed a girl! Monsieur 'girls are only a distraction from the cause' actually kissed a girl!"

"Shut up, Joly," I mumbled.

"Enjolras has actually kissed a girl!" he laughed. "And not just any girl, you kissed Éponine! _Éponine!_"

"Seriously, Joly, shut up," I said a little louder. "You sound like Grantaire."

"I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that _you_, our fearless leader, who stays away from those of the opposite sex like a plague has had a kiss!" he said.

"It was more than once," I muttered. When his jaw dropped and his smile grew, I put my head in my hands while mentally berating myself.

"Have you told her yet?" he inquired, soberly.

"Told her what?" I asked.

"That you love her," he stated simply, as if that was common knowledge.

"What did you say?" I whispered.

"You heard me," he said.

"How did you-" I began, but he cut me off mid-sentence.

"I heard you say it," he shrugged. "On the night we brought her here. You were keeping an eye on her to make sure she survived the night after everyone else left. I was returning to check on her progress and I heard you say it."

"I cannot believe that you heard that and said nothing," I exclaimed in awe of his self-control. Had it been Grantaire to hear my confession, all of France would know after two minutes.

"I knew that you needed to come to terms with your feelings on your own," he explained. "You're not exactly accustomed to them." He had a point there. Everything I was feeling was entirely new and very terrifying.

"Thanks for not telling anyone."

"Don't mention it," he said. "You never answered my question."

"What question?" I had completely forgotten to what he was referring, I was so absorbed in the shock that he knew of my feelings towards Éponine.

"Have you told her?"

I laughed. "You expect me to kiss her twice and then tell her that I _love_ her? This is _Éponine_ we're talking about! If I even considered that, she would probably punch me!"

Joly chucked. "True," he admitted. "You have to tell her eventually."

I groaned and put my head in my hands. "I know, Joly," I sighed. "I know."

We were so occupied with our conversation that we did not hear a gasp outside the door.

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**Author's Note: Aaaaand, cliff-hanger! I will probably not be able to update tomorrow, so enjoy the wait, kiddies! ****Mwahahahahahaha!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: This chapter might very well be the last I will be able to post until Friday. I'm really busy. I hope you enjoy. Just so you know, from this point on, everything is going to get really complicated. Thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following! You guys are the best!**

**Disclaimer: I am not the Victor Hugo you are looking for!**

* * *

~Éponine~

I gasped. _Oh my god,_ I thought in a panic. _Enjolras loves me! _At first, an irrational happiness swelled inside me. Quickly, that happiness was destroyed by panic. Love has never worked out for me! The last person to claim to love me was Montparnasse, and look how _that_ turned out! I _still _have bruises from my last encounter with him! _I must get away before it's too late__!_ My instincts told me. I silently ran back to my room, changed out of my beautiful new clothing, and back into my rags. I quickly ran to the desk in the room and wrote a brief note to Enjolras. With one last look around the room I had begun to call me home, I fled.

There was a pelting rain on the streets. I welcomed the rain. It was perfect cover. No one inside the house would be able to find me since I knew the streets so much better than they did. I stole one final glance at the only real home I had ever known and was saddened by the loss of such a loving environment. _It was never mine to lose. _I thought bitterly. Tears mixed with the pouring rain on my cheeks as I flew through the streets.

My thoughts were on Enjolras and I realized the true reason I had to vanish from his life without a word. I loved him, but he deserved better. I silently wished him a life of happiness and love. _Goodbye, my Enjolras,_ I silently told him as I ran.

* * *

~Enjolras~

"When are you going to tell her?" Joly asked me. "It should be sooner rather than later."

"I kknow," I sighed. "I just wish I had time to prepare-"

"This isn't one of your speeches, Enjolras," he chided. "You can't just write out a declaration of love! If you try, I guarantee that se will not take it well."

"Gee, thanks," I replied sarcastically. "You're too kind."

Joly ignored me. "Just, go out there and tell her."

I sighed. "Okay."

I walked out of the room and knocked on Éponine's door. "'Ponine?" I asked hesitantly. "May I come in? I really need to talk to you." I got no answer. "Éponine?" I tried again. Still no answer. I tested the doorknob. It opened. I took a deep breath and walked inside. There was no sign of her. I started to panic when I saw the beautiful dress she had been wearing lying on her bed. There was a note on top of it. I snatched it and began reading.

_Enjolras,_

_I am so sorry, but I must leave. Please don't try to find me. This is my choice. I'm so sorry it had to be like this. I wish you every happiness and success in life._

_-Éponine_ _Thénardier_

My heart plummeted to the ground and shattered on impact. I left the room in a panic. _Why would she leave? Did her father take her? _A blind fury overcame me. _If he lays a hand on her, I swear to god I'll kill him!_

Joly interrupted my musings. "Enjolras, how did it go?" I handed him the note. His eyes grew wide. "We have to find her!"

I nodded and ran out of the house, only to be met by a downpour. A string of expletives left my lips that would have made a sailor blush. "How the hell are we supposed to find her in this?"

"We'll just have to wait until it clears," Joly declared.

I shook my head violently. "If we wait, we'll never find her!" I screamed.

"We'll never find her in this!" he reasoned.

There was no chance of finding Éponine. _I've lost her. _I started to cry.

* * *

**Author's Note: PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! I promise it will get better! I just needed to add some drama. Will you ever forgive me?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: I have time to write another chapter! I can't stress to you enough how important your reviews are to me. Just knowing that people actually read and care about my story motivates me to continue! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review if you like this story and want me to continue updating it frequently! **

**Disclaimer: Sylvie and her family are mine. The rest are purely the genius of Victor Hugo. Completely unrelated to the disclaimer, Aaron Tveit is gorgeous. Enough said.**

* * *

**Three weeks later**

~Éponine~

I was sitting in the park crying. It was the same park in which I had sat with Enjolras before he kissed me for the first time. I was actually about five feet from the bench we had been sitting on. Just the thought of him caused me immense pain and grief. _It's for his own good that you left,_ I tried telling myself for the umpteenth time. Every day, I struggled with the desire to just show up at his door, tell him that I loved him, and beg him to take me back. Every day I realized that whatever feelings he had felt towards me had probably faded by then, while mine grew stronger every day. I hadn't even thought about Marius for the longest time since I had met him. A part of me still loved him, a part of me probably always would, but that part was very small.

I looked down at my bruised, battered, and malnourished body. I had been recovering so well, but all of that changed when I returned to the streets. Father had found me after my sixth day on the streets and he had punished me profusely for disappearing in the first place. I picked myself up off of the ground and dried my tears on the dirty sleeve of my shirt. I was back in boy's clothing, stealing from the rich to please father.

I stealthily made my way to the crowded market. I knew that there would be at least a couple wealthy citizens with full walets and jingling pockets hanging about there. I spotted a young man with nice clothing and "accidentally" bumped into him, reaching my hand into his pocket without him noticing. "Excusez-moi, monsieur," I mumbled.

"It's perfectly alright," the young man said. "I should have been paying more attention." I froze mid-way through my getaway. I recognized that voice.

"Ma-Marius?" I asked incredulously with my back to him.

"Do I-" he began, then recognition filed his voice. "'Ponine?"

I turned around and embraced him, sobbing. "Oh, 'Ponine!" he cried. "We've been so worried about you! I can't believe you ran off like that! Everyone has been worried sick about you! Especially Enjolras... We need to go right now! Everyone will be so relieved! Especially Gavroche! He has been so worried about you!" He began leading me in the direction of Enjolras's apartment.

"No!" I blurted out. "Marius, I-I really don't want to face them right now. Please, do't tell them you saw me." I began to walk away, my heart breaking. Enjolras was worried about me. It was for his sake I had to leave. He deserved so much more. Marius grabbed my arm to halt my flight and I winced. He quickly withdrew his hand and stared in horror at the blood he saw on it.

"What happened to you, 'Ponine?" he whispered, concern coating his voice. His concern broke my fragile self-control and I burst into tears.

"Ca-can we t-t-talk somewh-where else?" I begged through the tears. Marius nodded and we walked hand-in-hand to his apartment.

* * *

~Enjolras~

It had been three weeks since Éponine left and took my heart with her. I had no passion, no feeling anymore. Not for anything, not even Patria. Éponine was gone. Every day, she was all I thought about. I went through the motions of living for the benefit of my friends, but I could tell I wasn't fooling them.

Gavroche was acting in much the same way, except he spent his days searching the streets for his sister. Much to my dismay, she knew the streets better than even Gavroche. Many times I went with him. Several times I could have sworn I saw her, but every time she vanished immediately.

I was beginning to lose hope.

* * *

**Author's Note: Please forgive me! Also, review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's note: So, I'm writing another chapter much sooner than I anticipated. Apparently, even having a ton of homework, a busy schedule, and a friend over won't stop me from writing. It will, however, cause me to force my friend to read this, which she did. Here is a brief shout-out to her: HI! **

**Disclaimer: Les Mis is not my invention. I own Sylvie and her family (who will show up more later). I am a complete and total fangirl when it comes to Aaron Tveit (shocker, right? ;P). **

* * *

~Enjolras~

I was staring out the window wondering where Éponine was and if she was okay, when I heard a very insistant pounding at the door. Sylvie went to open it, but before she could even get half way to the door, it flew open and Marius burst in. He looked as if he had something to say, but was far too out of breath to say it.

"Breathe before you try to speak, Marius," Joly scolded him.

Marius didn't listen. "Found... bruised... 'Ponine... on... street..." he managed to say in between breaths. When I heard him say Éponine's name, I turned to face him and actually started to listen.

"You saw Éponine?" I asked him, stunned. He nodded. Before anyone could get a word in, I frantically asked, "Where is she?"

"My... apartment..." he panted. Before anyone could even blink, I was racing down the street in the direction of Marius's home.

When I arrived, I had to wait for the others to catch up and open the door. It was the longest two minutes of my life. Once they finally caught up with me, I practically tore the keys out of Marius's hand. I unlocked the door and flew inside. My hand was on the doorknob of Marius's room, but Joly stopped me from opening it.

"Enjolras, wait," he ordered. "Let Marius speak before you barge in there." I nodded impatiently.

Marius took a deep breath. "She's in a pretty bad shape," he informed me. His words cut my heart. "She has bruises all over her body and she looks like she hasn't eaten since she left. When I found her, she told me not to tell anyone that I saw her and she tried to run away. I caught her arm and that's when I noticed the gaping wound. I managed to get her to come here, but she collapsed once she stepped a foot through the door. I don't think that she's strong enough, physically or emotionally, to see you right now." I nodded. He turned to Joly. "Can you check on her arm?" he asked.

"Of course," Joly replied. As Marius and Joly entered the room I resigned myself to pacing outside the door.

* * *

~Éponine~

When Marius and I finally arrived at his apartment, I collapsed on the floor, exhaustion and starvation claiming me. The next thing I knew, I was lying on his bed and he was sitting in a chair next to me, crying with his head in his hands.

"We really must stop meeting like this, Monsieur Marius," I muttered, my voice hoarse. Marius's head instantly snapped up when he heard me.

"Thank god you're awake!" he beamed. "We-I was so worried when you collapsed!"

I raised an eyebrow. "'We'?"

Marius stood up and backed a few steps away as if he was worried I would hurt him. "I kind of told the others that I saw you..." he admitted sheepishly.

My eyes widened. "Marius!" I shouted at him. "You swore you wouldn't!"

"I know, but I was worried about you!" he argued. "Also, you are pretty badly injured, you needed Joly."

I sighed in defeat. "I suppose." A thought struck me. "Is Enjolras here?" I whispered.

"Yes, he's here," Marius informed me. "And he's been pacing frantically outside the door ever since he arrived." I closed my eyes. I left so that he would move on and forget about me. My absence had accomplished nothing. "Do you want to see him?"

I shook my head, tears beginning to fall. "Don't cry, 'Ponine," he said, wiping away my tears. He kissed my forehead. "It's okay." I opened my eyes and looked at him. He leaned down and gently placed a kiss on my lips.

My whole being was a jumbled mess of emotions. My mind was telling me that I should be ecstatic, _Marius_ was _kissing_ me. The very thing I had desired for years was happening. But my heart was telling me that I wanted to be kissing Enjolras. Marius pulled away when I didn't kiss him back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that," he stammered. We both were blushing.

I heard a cry of agony and looked up. Enjolras was standing in the doorway. When I saw him, my heart fluttered happily. Then I noticed his expression. He looked as though someone had ripped out his heart and trampled it into the mud. It was the same expression I had worn when Marius and Cosette had declared their love. It broke my heart when I realized that someone was me. When he saw that I was looking at him, he turned and hurried away.

"Enjolras, wait!" I cried, throwing myself out of the bed. Marius tried to stop me, but I didn't care. I ran after Enjolras, ignoring my body's protests. He deserved so much more than what I had just done to him. Enjolras deserved the truth.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: I have good and bad news. On the bright side, this story now has more than 4000 views! Thank you all! Sadly, I currently have a really shoddy internet connection, so updates will be less frequent. I don't know when my internet connection will be be fixed, but here's hoping it will be soon. **

**Disclaimer: I have watched and listened to Les Mis so many times that I probably know the story better than Victor Hugo. The book will be arriving from the library soon. So excited!**

* * *

~Éponine~

"Enjolras, wait!" I screamed again.

He had no intention of slowing down or stopping. Since he was faster and in far better shape than I, he should have escaped my pursuit, but _no one_ knows the streets better than Éponine Thénardier. I took a short cut and stood in an alley waiting for him. A couple seconds later, he turned the corner and almost ran straight into me. When he saw me, he tried to turn around and run the other way, but I grabbed his arm.

"Please, Enjolras, just hear me out," I pleaded.

After all that had transpired between us, seeing him with red-rimmed eyes should not have surprised me, but it did. I still couldn't imagine the fearless revolutionary leader crying over a girl, especially me. The sight of his sorrow hurt me so much more than anything father had ever done.

He gave me a wary glance and crossed him arms in front of his chest. "I'm listening," he said in a monotone. His lack of emotion was even more painful than his sorrow had been.

"About what happened with Marius-" I began, but he interrupted me.

"You've gotten what you've always wanted," he said. "I-I'm happy for you."

"ENJOLRAS, LISTEN TO ME FOR A MINUTE, WILL YOU?" I shouted, annoyed by his stubbornness. "That was absolutely nothing!"

"HOW THE HELL CAN YOU SAY THAT?" he shouted back, his face turning as red as the jacket he was wearing. "YOU'VE ONLY BEEN FAWNING OVER HIM THE ENTIRE TIME I'VE KNOWN YOU!" His face took on a more normal hue and a look of the deepest grief crossed his face. "How am I supposed to compete with that?" he whispered. "Especially after you ran away from me."

I calmed down. Apparently he was as insecure as I. "Enjolras, _he_ kissed _me_, not the other way around," I informed him. "I didn't even kiss him back."

He looked shocked. Shocked and confused. "Why not?"

I sighed. _Are _all_ men so oblivious?_ I wondered. "Because," I closed the gap between us, "I wanted to be kissing you." With that, I kissed him.

Our third kiss was even more passionate and wonderful than the other two combined. I snaked my arms around his neck and his arms wrapped around my waist. He was holding me as if he feared I would still run back to Marius if he let go for even a second.

"Well, I did not see that coming," he chuckled when we stopped kissing.

"Shut up and kiss me," I said simply. He complied happily. After more kissing, he finally spoke again.

"Shouldn't we be getting back to the others?" he asked.

I sighed. "If we have to..."

* * *

~Enjolras~

"Oh, by the way," Éponine said, nonchalantly, "I love you."

I felt like I was floating ten feet off the ground. "Éponine Thénardier, I can't tell you how long I've wanted to hear you say that," I said, grinning from ear to ear. She smiled back at me.

We walked hand in hand back to Marius's apartment. When we walked through the door, we were met with relieved expressions from Joly and Sylvie. Marius just looked embarrassed.

"Well, it's about time!" Joly exclaimed. Éponine and I blushed.

Sylvie ran up to us and embraced Éponine. The older woman whispered something to her that I couldn't hear, but made Éponine blush even more. I looked at her quizzically. "Later," she mouthed. I nodded.

* * *

**Author's Note: So, do you forgive me now? Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: I'll be back at school next week. School plus lack of internet at home equals far less frequent updates. I personally am really disappointed by that. I love writing this. It's much more fun than homework. On a completely unrelated note, thank you all so much for supporting me! I love reading your feedback and impressions! If there is anything you particularly want to see happen in the story, I encourage you to please tell me! **

**Disclaimer: Les Mis was never mine to lose. Why regret what cannot be? **

* * *

_~five months before the barricade~_

___Éponine had easily found the address of the house she was looking for. She returned to the cafe to tell Marius with a heart of lead. When he saw her, his face lit up and for a minute she was convinced that he might return her feelings. He quickly walked over to her._

___"Did you find her, 'Ponine?" he asked with breathless enthusiasm. Her heart broke even more and she was tempted to lie and say she hadn't. Instead, __Éponine put on a brave face and told him the truth._

_____"Oui, Monsieur," she informed him with false cheeriness. _

_____In his excitement, Marius forgot to be polite. "Take me to her!" he demanded. __Éponine led him to the house._

_________Éponine was walking on her own in the rain after watching Marius declare his love for another girl. She often walked by herself and imagined that Marius was beside her. She did not even mind that she was freezing in the rain because in her mind, Marius was there to keep her warm. _

_After a while, she remembered that Marius was not there, that he never would be there. "All my life, I've only been pretending!" she cried aloud. "Without me, his world will go on turning. A world that's full of happiness that I have never known!" She fell to her knees, her tears mixing with the rain. "__I love him, but only on my own."_

_____________She was crying so hard that she did not notice that she was no longer alone. "__________Éponine, are you okay?" a voice next to her asked with concern. She gasped when she saw Enjolras. _

_______________________"I-I'm f-f-fine, Enjolr-ras," she stammered, her chattering teeth making it hard to speak._

_______________________"No you're not," he said quietly. His concern broke through her stubbornness and she started crying again. Enjolras then did something that surprised both of them, he sat down on the ground next to her and held her close. She cried in his arms until the rain stopped._

* * *

~Éponine~

A few days past. I was recovering in Enjolras's apartment and my life was practically perfect. The only things that made it less than perfect were Gavroche's frequent teasing and the knowledge that I would eventually recover and have to leave.

One day, I was helping Sylvie cook dinner, when I started crying silently. Enjolras walked in the kitchen and wrapped his arms around me when he noticed my tears.

"What's wrong, 'Ponine?" he asked.

"Nothing," I lied. He rolled his eyes.

"I know that you're lying," he said. He led me out of the kitchen and into the living room. He seated us both down on the couch. I curled against him and he put his arms around me. "Please, talk to me."

"I'm just sad that I'll have to leave soon," I admitted. "I really am going to miss living here."

He turned me to face him. "Why on earth would you have to leave?" he inquired.

I sighed. "I'm getting better. Soon, I'll have no excuse to stay."

He looked me in the eyes seriously. "Do you _want_ to leave?"

"No, of course not!" I exclaimed. "This is more of a home than I have ever known in my life."

"Then stay," he said.

"Are you sure you want me to?" I asked, still not believing that I deserved anything as amazing as him.

To answer my question, he kissed me. When we stopped for breath, he rested his forehead against mine. "Does that answer your question?"

I giggled. "I guess you do want me to stay."

"Then that settles it," he announced. "You aren't going anywhere." That being said, he pressed his lips against mine again.

"At it again, are you?" Gavroche teased. "Do you two _ever_ stop? At least take my advice and suck each other's faces off in your own rooms."

I looked at my little brother with a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment. "Gav, would you please stop making fun of us?"

He pretended to think for a minute, even going so far as to stroke a nonexistent beard. "Nope," he decided with a devilish grin.

"If it bothers you so much, why are you smiling?" Enjolras inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"I still find it funny that my sister is snogging the great Enjolras at all hours of the day," Gav explained, causing me to blush even more. Even though Enjolras rolled his eyes, he couldn't help but smile.

"Why is everyone so surprised that I have feelings?" He asked.

"Because we all thought that the only woman you would ever love would be France," Gav stated.

"Well then, you were all wrong," Enjolras concluded. To prove his point, he kissed me again. I wasn't complaining.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: I have started to read the actual books of Les Mis! The writing is incredible. I'm on chapter 12 of the first book and it's still only about the bishop, which surprised me because he is in about two minutes of the play and movie. Anyways, it's really good. Thank you all so much for supporting me! You guys are fantastic! Please, please, please, please, please, please, PLEASE review!**

**Disclaimer: If Les Mis were mine, then I would be named Victor Hugo. Since that is not my name, you can tell that I do not own Les Mis. That would be really awesome though. I wish I owned Les Mis. Alas, it was never meant to be. **

* * *

~Éponine~

A week passed since Enjolras convinced me to live with him. I can honestly say that I had never in my life been happier. I did occasionally worry about how us living together unmarried would look, but every time I looked at Enjolras, my trepidation disappeared.

Enjolras returned to school after about a month's absence. He managed to pick up where he had left off in his studies, further proof of his brilliance. I did miss him during the day, but I had Sylvie and Gavroche for company. I also spent a lot of my time reading, but occasionally I did stroll through the streets I knew so well. The first few times, I was shocked by how differently I was treated by strangers. When I was malnourished, filthy, and wearing only rags, everyone who was not an urchin like myself looked at me as if I was merely a piece of garbage. Ever since I started living with Enjolras and had a full belly, nice clothing, and the ability to bathe, I received stares, smiles, and even greetings. Every time I walked through the streets, I made sure I brought some food for the poor. If I deserved food, they did too. Practically every time I so much as stepped a foot outside of the apartment I was surrounded by Gav's friends who practically worshiped me as a hero.

After I had given away every scrap of food I had brought on one of those outings, I found myself stopped outside of the cafe. Enjolras, Gav, Joly, and I had not yet found the courage to step foo in that forlorn building. That day, something drew me to it. I couldn't explain it, but I knew I had to go inside. Gathering all of the courage I could muster, I walked up to the doors. It took another deep breath for me to actually open the doors.

The moment I was inside, I was bombarded by memories. I didn't even see the cafe, I saw only memories. I saw all of Les Amis, smiling, laughing, debating, talking. I even saw Enjolras giving one of his speeches. I started to cry silently. I would never see most of my friends again. I was so wrapped up in my memories that I didn't notice that I was not alone.

A sudden movement in one corner caught my attention. What I saw did not make any sense. I wiped away the tears, certain that they had distorted my vision and what I saw wasn't really there. The vision was still there. For a minute I thought I was losing my mind. It just was _not _possible! But, there it was. _It looks almost like..._

"Grantaire?" I asked in only a whisper. This could not be happening, he was dead! The vision turned towards the sound of my voice. He looked as shocked and disbelieving as I felt.

"Éponine?" he asked. "Y-you survived?"

I nodded. I physically could not have spoken or moved from the spot in which I was rooted because I was so stunned.

The next thing I knew, I was hugging Grantaire and we were both crying. I noticed that he was surprisingly sober.

"How did you survive?" I inquired between sobs.

"I don't really remember," he admitted. "I remember that Marius was holding you and sobbing because you had died. After that, it's all a little hazy. I woke up in a wine store. When I walked out the door, everyone was dead in the street." A look of deep pain crossed his face. "Did anyone else survive?" he just barely whispered, terrified of what my answer would be.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, pulling him towards the door. "Marius, Joly, Gav, and Enjolras also survived."

I couldn't quite read the expression on his face. There was definitely some sorrow there that the list of survivors was so short, but also relief that so many of our friends _had_ survived. There was also something else when I had mentioned Enjolras, like a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

As we walked to Enjolras's apartment, we talked about everything that had happened since the barricade. He told me that he was attempting to give up alcohol. He thought that if he hadn't drunk himself into a stupor at the barricade, maybe things would have turned out differently and more people would have survived.

We finally reached the apartment. "Wait outside for a minute," I instructed him. "Let's really give them a surprise." He nodded and smiled in agreement.

I opened the door. Enjolras was home from his classes. When he saw me, he started to walk towards me smiling one of those heart-stopping smiles I loved so much. I put up a hand to stop him. "Wait," I said, grinning ear-to-ear. "I have a surprise. Are Joly, Marius and Gav here?" Enjolras nodded and called them into the room.

Once everyone was assembled, I grabbed the doorknob to reveal Grantaire. "You will never believe who I ran into today," I announced. Everyone, Enjolras in particular, looked confused. I opened the door and Grantaire walked inside. The jaws of everyone present dropped.

"Grantaire?" Enjolras asked, even more shocked than I had been upon seeing Grantaire alive.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's note: Guess what? I just discovered that I can type this on my kindle! Life has just gotten so much more entertaining. So, what do you think about the reappearance of Grantaire? Please review! Thank you so much, everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. You all inspire me to keep writing.**

**Disclaimer: Les Mis was never mine to lose. Why regret what cannot be? These are books I'll never write. No, not I. No, not I. No, not I. These books full of words, I will never have written.**

* * *

~Enjolras~

"Grantaire?" I asked. I could not believe my eyes.

"Well, who else could it be?" he teased. "You haven't seen me in a little over a month and yet you've already forgotten me?" He wore an expression of mock indignation. He was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed in front of his chest. His solemn facade did not last very long and soon he was smirking with a happy twinkle in his eyes. I noticed that, for the first time in the entirety of our aquaintance, there was no bottle in his hand.

"How did you-"

"Survive?" he finished my question for me. His expression grew almost sheepish. "How do you think? I drank myself into a stupor and woke up after the revolution had ended."

"And here we all thought that your drinking habits would kill you in the end," I said with no sarcasm in my voice, only amazement. "I guess you proved us all wrong."

Grantaire's grin returned. "Oh, Apollo," he said, calling my by the nickname he had given me a long time ago even though he knew it annoyed me, "you haven't changed a bit."

"What do you mean?" I inquired confusedly.

Grantaire sighed and rolled his eyes. "You thought I was dead for a month and yet you still haven't given me a hug."

I chuckled, then I went over and gave him a hug. "I stand corrected," he laughed. "The marble has finally cracked! We should throw a celebratory party."

Everyone present laughed. I rolled my eyes but was smiling. "I guess you have 'Ponine to thank for that," I said, pulling her close. Grantaire looked confused.

"Wait, hold on for a second," he said. "Are you saying that you and Éponine..." He looked from me to Éponine and back.

"We have been together for some time now," I explained, confused by the look of pain that briefly crossed his face.

"I... offer my congratulations," he said with a forced smile that didn't touch his eyes at all. "I hope... you two are... very happy together." He ran a hand through his curly dark hair. I did not understand his behavior at all.

"Thank you," I said looking very confused.

"If you don't mind, I really must be going," Grantaire said. "It's been really wonderful seeing you all again." He shook our hands and left.

"I'll walk him out," Éponine said. She gave me a quick kiss and followed Grantaire's retreating form.

* * *

~Éponine~

"Grantaire! Wait!" I shouted after him. Grantaire froze, allowing me to catch up with him. When I finally reached him, I noticed that his eyes were red and tears were falling down his face. When he saw that I noticed, he hastily wiped away the tears. "Are you alright?" I asked, rubbing his back comfortingly.

"I'm f-fine," he stammered. "I just got a bit of dust in my eye."

"Liar," I said softly. "Tell me what's wrong." I made him sit down next to me on the curb.

"You wouldn't understand," he protested.

"You're in love with Enjolras," I stated. He looked at e with wide-eyed shock.

"How did you-"

"I wasn't born yesterday," I rolled my eyes. "I can read the signs. Also, don't forget that I was in love with Marius for years without him even noticing."

Grantaire sighed and put his head in his hands. "I always knew that there was no hope for us," he admitted sorrowfully. "I just thought that I would lose him to France. Seeing him showing emotions and acting so happy..."

"I understand," I sighed. "I felt the same way when Marius met Cosette."

Grantaire and I stood up. He gave me a hug. "Thanks for all the support," he said.

"Any time," I told him with a smile.

"I really must be going," he said. "I a job to go to in the morning."

"Really?" I asked. "That's great!"

"Always the tone of surprise," he grinned.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry this has taken so long. The kindle typing isn't working out very well, sadly. I just got sick, so I probably will be able to write a bit more. The internet is still down. :( Ah well. REVIEW!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: I'm still sick. :( It always takes me forever to get better. Also, a friend and I were going to go to prom together as friends, but since we were only going as friends, his parents wouldn't pay for me. I'm completely broke at the moment, so I can't go. Ah well. Enough self pity. Enjoy the story! Thanks for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! Also, forgive the random time lapses and glimpses back in time, I have ADD so my trains of thought are a tad strange. Lastly, forgive any errors in time/season, I am not very far in the books yet.**

**Disclaimer: I dreamed a dream where I owned Les Mis, but there are dreams that cannot be. **

* * *

~Enjolras~

Éponine returned home after Grantaire had left so suddenly looking rather sad. "Are you okay, 'Ponine?" I asked her with concern as I drew her into a hug. She only nodded very unconvincingly in response. "You know you can tell me anything"

"I know," she whispered, pulling her head off of my chest and placing a light kiss on my lips. "I love you, Enjolras."

"I love you too, 'Ponine," I told her, kissing her with more passion. She rested her head on my shoulder and yawned. "Time for you to go to bed."

"I'm not tired," she yawned in protest. I chuckled.

"Éponine Thénardier, you are by far the most stubborn person I have ever met in my entire life," I chuckled as I led her to her bedroom. Éponine rolled her eyes at me.

"Look who's talking," she shot back playfully. I laughed.

"Touché," I said, smiling. "Good night, 'Ponine."

"Good night, Enjolras," she replied, kissing me good night. I left the room so she could change in private and go to sleep.

As I tried to fall asleep, my mind kept returning to Grantaire's bizarre reaction to the news about my and Éponine's relationship. I could not understand what made him act that way. Only one explanation occurred to me and it did not make very much sense. _Did Grantaire have feelings for Éponine?_

* * *

~Éponine~

I did not get very much sleep that night. I kept feeling guilty about Grantaire. He had been in love with Enjolras far longer than I had. To make matters worse, I knew how Grantaire felt, having been in his place with Marius. I would never wish that pain on anyone, especially not one of my friends. What right did I have to waltz in and steal away any chance he had? I was just a street rat with the worst parents possible.

I wanted to stop thinking about the whole situation. Seeing Enjolras at that moment would only make matters worse. I pulled on one of my dresses, a deep green dress that reminded me of a forest, and left my room. As an afterthought, I grabbed a jacket, just in case the weather was foul. I left the apartment, making sure not to wake Enjolras.

As I stepped outside, I was greeted by a biting wind. It was getting close to spring, but still very cold out. I wrapped my arms around myself tightly, thankful I had thought to bring a jacket. I began to walk towards the park. In an alley about a block away from the apartment, I noticed a figure, sprawled out with a bottle in hand. I looked more closely and realized that I recognized the person.

"Grantaire?" I asked. He looked up at me with a neutral expression and took another swig from the bottle. "What are you doing out here? You must be freezing!" I bent over and helped him stand. Dragged him to a standing position would be more accurate. He was not very steady on his feet. "Let's get you inside and warmed up."

I managed to get him halfway there, when he stopped. "I don' wanna go ther, 'Ponine," he slurred. I realized that he must be very drunk indeed. I had never seen him so drunk that he couldn't speak properly before.

"Why not?" I asked confused. "You can't stay out here."

"I jus' don'," he replied, sounding annoyed on top of extremely inebriated.

"I don't understand," I said, confused.

"I don' wanna see you an' 'Ras being all lovey-dovey," he practically spat. I felt another wave of guilt.

"Okay, fine, I'll help you get back to your house then," I said. He shook his head.

"I don' wan' yur charity," he snapped. I was taken aback. I had seen Grantaire only act happy when he was drunk, now he was beginning to sound like my father. I instinctively took a step back.

"I'm only trying to help," I argued.

"HOW THE HELL COULD _YOU_ HELP?" he shouted. "IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU I HAD TO DRINK MYSELF INTO A STUPOR TO ESCAPE THE PAIN! I LOVED HIM LONG BEFORE YOU EVEN LOOKED AT HIM TWICE! IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU I'LL NEVER EVEN HAVE A CHANCE WITH HIM!" He grabbed my wrist angrily. "YOU DON'T DESERVE HIM!"

"Grantaire, please, you're hurting me!" I whimpered. I couldn't even see Grantaire any more. I could only see my father. I started to cry.

"GET THE HELL OFF OF HER!" I heard someone growl. My arm was released. I immediately sank to the ground, wrapping my arms around myself.

* * *

~Enjolras~

When I woke up, Éponine's door was open and there was no sign of her. I began to panic. _Has her father found her?_ I worried. I found Sylvie in the kitchen preparing breakfast and whistling.

"Have you seen Éponine?" I inquired worriedly.

"Not today," she responded.

I flew out of the kitchen, grabbed my red jacket, and ran outside, praying that I would be able to find her.

I quickly spotted her. Relief flooded my heart.

"Grantaire, please, you're hurting me!" I heard her cry. I realized that Grantaire was there with a hand crushing her wrist and looking positively furious.

"GET THE HELL OFF OF HER!" I growled, running up to them and yanking her arm from his grip. She sank to the ground. Grantaire looked at me and his anger died down. "What the hell were you thinking?" I demanded. He looked like he only just realized what happened and an expression of horror and guilt possessed his features.

"I-I didn't," he stuttered. I noticed the bottle in his hand.

"Go," I hissed. "Now." He looked heartbroken, but he walked away.

I bent down to Éponine and put my arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. Éponine threw her arms around me and sobbed. "It's okay, 'Ponine," I murmured to her. "I'm here. I won't let anything hurt you. I promise." I kissed the top of her head. I let her cry for a while, knowing that sometimes to just cry was the best solution. "Let's go home," I said when her crying had died down. She nodded, looking emotionally and physically drained. I picked her up and carried her home.

* * *

**A/N: I felt so guilty writing this because I love Grantaire and hated having to make him so mean, but it had to be done. I promise that there was a reason. Please review! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: So... Hopefully today was my last day off from school. I have several tests to look forward to. Sounds like fun, huh? Ugggggggggggghh. I am not looking forward to that. I am, however, looking forward to seeing my friends again. As always, please review! Your reviews always brighten my day considerably.**

**Disclaimer: I did not write Les Mis. If I had, Enjolras and Éponine would not have died.**

* * *

Grantaire walked away from Éponine and Enjolras. He could not believe what he had done to Éponine. She was his friend, his confidant. When he had found out that she was romantically involved with Enjolras, Éponine had followed him and tried to comfort him, for God's sake! And to thank her for being so kind, he _hurt _and shouted at her! He was a horrible friend. He could see why Enjolras had chosen Éponine over him. Enjolras deserved better.

But Éponine had loved Marius so very much for so very long, how could she possibly now truly love Enjolras? _When Éponine runs back to Marius, I'll be there for Enjolras. _Grantaire thought to himself. _Then he'll..._ No. Enjolras would never love him.

Grantaire slumped in an alley. He began to raise the bottle he still had in his hand to his lips, but stopped. That bottle had caused this mess. He threw it across the alley. It hit the side of a building and shattered, becoming nothing more than some shards of glass and a puddle.

Grantaire was just sitting in the alley thinking about how horrible his life was and how nobody, least of all Enjolras, would care if he died. _Enjolras never even noticed me. _He thought morbidly. _All I was to him was an annoying drunk who did not believe in anything._ He drew his knees up to his chest, rested his head against them, and began to cry.

"Hello?" a voice called, interrupting the flow of his sorrow. "Monsieur, are you alright? Do you need help?"

Grantaire lifted his head and wiped his eyes. A young man with hair that was the deepest black Grantaire had ever seen and green eyes that glittered like emeralds was staring at him with a worried look on his face. Grantaire could not help but notice that this young man was extremely handsome. However, he did not want sympathy, so he did not answer the man's question. He only lowered his head once more.

"What's wrong?" the young man asked kindly. This time his voice was much closer to Grantaire. Grantaire looked up yet again and was startled to see that the young man was kneeling next to him. "What is your name, Monsieur?" the young man asked, realizing that Grantaire was not going to answer his other questions.

"G-Grant-taire," he finally managed to say through his tears.

"Grantaire," the young man repeated thoughtfully. "Very unique name. I like it."

Grantaire only looked at the man quizzically. He seemed to be at a loss for words around the stranger, which was unusual for him. The drunk always had something snide, sarcastic, or humorous to say. That is, until Enjolras looked at him. Every time the revolutionary looked at Grantaire, he became tongue-tied and his mind generally filled with thoughts about how exceedingly gorgeous Enjolras looked when annoyed.

"My name is Philippe," the young man told Grantaire. _Philippe._ Grantaire thought. _Nice name._ "It is very nice to make your acquaintance. Now would you please tell me what is the matter and if I can help?"

Grantaire was about to refuse, but Philippe was looking at him with such kindness and caring, and he was so very drunk, that he could no longer restrain himself. He told Philippe everything.

Philippe looked at him sympathetically. "This, Enjolras was it? You say he never realized that you care so deeply for him?" he asked. Grantaire nodded, surprised that Philippe was not perturbed that Grantaire was in love with another man. Grantaire's parents had not taken the knowledge well, which was the reason he was in Paris in the first place. "Forgive me, I do not know the man so I am only making assumptions, but he does not seem very astute."

Grantaire chuckled. "That he is not," he admitted. "Enjolras does not know his own feelings, let alone anyone else's." Grantaire's brief smile faded. "That is until Éponine." He felt his eyes begin to fill again.

"I am sincerely sorry that he has put you through so much pain," Philippe said. Grantaire was touched by the kindness this stranger was showing him. The two sat in silence for a while.

It was beginning to get dark out. _Have I really been out here all day?_Grantaire wondered silently. "I really must be going home," he muttered aloud. He tried to stand, but immediately lost his balance. He would have fallen flat on his face had Philippe not caught his arm.

"God, Grantaire, you are freezing cold!" Philippe exclaimed. Grantaire pulled his arm away and nearly fell again only to be saved by Philippe a second time. "There is no way you are going to make it home if you cannot even stand without falling," Philippe remarked. "Come to my mother's apartment with me. It is very close and if you do not get out of the cold soon, you will freeze."

Grantaire wanted to protest, but his legs betrayed him yet again. "Fine," he conceded.

With that, Philippe and Grantaire slowly made their way to shelter. Once inside, Philippe sat Grantaire in front of a roaring fire and grabbed several blankets for him.

"My mother works as a housekeeper nearby," Philippe said. "She should be home soon." Just as the words left his mouth, the door opened.

"Philippe!" a woman's voice cried. "You're here!"

Philippe walked over and embraced the older woman. "Yes Mother, I'm home," he laughed. The woman noticed the slightly humanoid bundle of blankets by the fire.

"Who's your friend?" she asked curiously.

"Forgive me, where are my manners?" Philippe said. "Mother, this is Grantaire. Grantaire, this is my mother."

"Grantaire?" the woman repeated, recognition and shock in her voice. Grantaire turned his gaze from the fire to the woman and his jaw dropped. It was Enjolras's housekeeper, Sylvie.

"Do you know each other?" Philippe asked.

"He is a friend of the young man I work for, Enjolras," Sylvie explained.

"I thought the name sounded familiar," Philippe murmured under his breath.

"How did you two meet?" Sylvie asked her son.

"I found him freezing in an alley," Philippe informed her. Sylvie gasped. Grantaire was thankful that Philippe had not mentioned his crying or inebriation.

"I will go make some tea," Sylvie said, making her way to the kitchen.

"My mother spent a decade in England and now thinks that tea is the solution to everything," Philippe explained to Grantaire with a smile. Grantaire laughed.

"Well, it's definitely warm," Grantaire acknowledged. Philippe smiled.

Sylvie returned with three cups of tea. She handed two of them to Grantaire and Philippe. "Grantaire, you must stay the night," she insisted.

"You may have my room," Philippe offered.

Grantaire shook his head. "I won't kick you out of your own bedroom," he protested.

"Nonsense," Philippe said. "You are our guest." Grantaire had suddenly become extremely tired and could no longer argue. Philippe helped him to stand and led him to his room.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: I wanted to update sooner, but I had trouble bridging what I had previously written to the ideas I had for the plot. All of a sudden, it hit me. So, here we are. Just so you know and don't call me out on apparent OOC moments, in this story on of the main things I am focusing on are our conscious and subconscious facades and the things or people that remove them. And lastly, thank you all so very very much for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting this! You alone can make my words take flight.**

**Disclaimer: Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry writers? It is the music of the people who hate writing disclaimers. Sadly, they are rather important. I do not own Les Mis. **

* * *

Grantaire awoke in the morning in a room that was unfamiliar to him. The walls were painted a mural of the sea and entirely lacked mold or cracks in the paint, the furniture all matched and was made of a sand-coloured wood, and the bed had no lumps whatsoever. He tried to sit up in the bed, but his attempt was inhibited by a piercing headache. He pressed his hands against his head. It felt as though a woodpecker was viciously attacking his cranium. He groaned and fell back against the pillows, attempting to muffle the pain by burying his head beneath them.

"Awake at last!" a cheerful voice exclaimed from the doorway. That happy voice only caused his head more pain, so Grantaire buried it even further underneath the pillows. "I brought you something to ease your inevitable headache," the voice continued. Grantaire did not need to see the owner of the voice to know that he was smirking. Grantaire would have rolled his eyes had they not been closed. The mention of a cure to his hangover did register in Grantaire's mind, so he cautiously withdrew his head from the pillows.

Philippe sat on the edge of the bed holding a glass which contained a mysterious liquid of unidentifiable nature. Grantaire looked at the liquid suspiciously, but did not take it. "Oh, take it, it will not bite," Philippe said.

"What is in it?" Grantaire inquired apprehensively, still not accepting the glass.

"It is best I do not tell you," Philippe answered. "I promise you it will work."

Grantaire hesitantly reached for the glass. His hand was unsteady, so Philippe had to help him raise it to his lips without spilling it. Grantaire took a sip and nearly spit it out. "You must drink all of it for it to work," Philippe told him. Grantaire grimaced. "I know, it tastes like sewage, but it really will help the headache."

Grantaire drank the rest of it as quickly as he could, gagging slightly. "Eat this," Philippe instructed, grabbing a slice of bread from a tray behind him. "It will remove the taste." Grantaire obeyed. To his surprise, the foul flavor of the drink disappeared. His headache was also slowly going away.

"Thank you," Grantaire said. "Whatever that is, it really works."

"You are most welcome," Philippe smiled in reply, his emerald eyes twinkling.

"Bonjour, Grantaire," Sylvie said, entering the room.

"Bonjour," he replied.

"You have a visitor," she told him.

For one brief moment, Grantaire thought that maybe, just maybe, it was Enjolras, but there are dreams that cannot be. Éponine walked into the room after Sylvie, the latter and her son exiting to give the two some privacy to talk.

"Bonjour, Grantaire," Éponine said, smiling kindly as if nothing had happened the previous day.

"Bonjour, Éponine," Grantaire greeted shyly, not meeting Éponine's eyes. It was very obvious to the girl that he greatly regretted his actions. Neither of them knew what to say, so they both waited in silence. Éponine was the first to break it.

"Sylvie told me that you were here. I came to tell you that I forgive you." Grantaire looked at her, stunned, so she continued. "If anyone would understand why you behaved the way you did, it would be me. I felt the exact same way when Marius met Cosette. I am so very sorry that I caused the same pain to befall you."

Grantaire shook his head. "You should not apologize, Éponine," Grantaire insisted. "I was wrong and absolutely horrible to treat you like that. Just promise me one thing?"

"Of course," Éponine replied.

"Even though Enjolras thinks he is invincible and must save the world, he has never been very good at handling his heart," Grantaire explained. "Promise me that you will... stay with him?" Grantaire had to push past the heartache the words caused to actually say them.

"I promise," she told him.

"Thank you," Grantaire said with a weak smile. He was both crushed and relieved. On some level, he thought that he may just be able to move on and live without Enjolras.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: Please please please forgive my long absence! My family kind of lost our wifi, so I haven't been able to update. I wrote this chapter on actual paper and had it sitting around for a while before I was able to post it, but it's here now! I hope that it won't take you too long to forgive me. Also, I have finals next week. Should be _fun_. Last thing I have to say is, I'M GOING TO FRANCE IN 9 DAYS!**

**Disclaimer: My school may put on a production of Les Mis next year and if we do, I will be auditioning for the role of Éponine, but other than that, I own it not.**

* * *

~Éponine~

"I should warn you that you might want to keep a bit of distance between yourself and Enjolras," I advised Grantaire. "Even though I have forgiven you and tried to argue your case to him, he is not easily pacified."

"Why am I not surprised?" Grantaire mumbled sarcastically.

I spent another hour at the apartment, enjoying the company. Even though I had only known Philippe for a very brief period of time, he was already becoming an invaluable friend. I quickly discovered that he was clever, kind, humorous, opinionated, and extremely stubborn. In fact, he almost rivaled me in stubbornness. He also enjoyed playing Devil's advocate during debates. _It will be very interesting when he and Enjolras meet._ I mused to myself. _They are so similar, yet so different. They would either be the best of friends, or hate each other. _

Even though I was enjoying the visit exceedingly, all good things must come to an end eventually. It was getting late and soon Enjolras would return home from the university. I was anxious to tell him about my new friend. I also wanted to try to make him forgive Grantaire. I hoped that, since I had spoken with Grantaire and he seemed sincerely sorry, Enjolras may actually forgive him.

I bid farewell to Grantaire, Sylvie, and Philippe and exited the flat. Sylvie lived very close to Enjolras so that her daily commute would be less of a hassle. When I got back home, the front door was unlocked. _Enjolras must be home early._ I thought as I opened the door.

"Enjolras?" I called. I looked at the clock. Enjolras should not be home for another hour. I heard a noise coming from the kitchen, so I began walking towards it. "Enj-" I began to call again as I entered the kitchen, but the word died on my lips. My throat felt dry and I was close to hyperventilating.

"What? Noe greeting for your own father?"

I was about to scream when someone grabbed me from behind and shoved a cloth under my nose. I felt dizzy, then everything went black.

* * *

~Enjolras~

I returned home excited to see Éponine. It had been a rather stressful day at school and I could not wait to be wrapped in her embrace once more.

I wanted to surprise her by getting home half an hour early. I chose not to call her name in favor of the element of surprise. When I could not find her, I was not at all worried as she often went out during the day. Despite assuring myself that she would be back any moment, a nagging voice reminded me that she was always back by the time I got home. I pushed my doubts aside and decided to wait and see if she got back.

* * *

An hour passed and there was still no sign of her. I began to panic. Something was horribly wrong, I could feel it. I decided to find my friends and ask if they had any idea of where she could be.

I ran out the door and practically flew to Sylvie's house home, since it was much closer than Joly's. Sylvie had not been at my house that day because it was her day off. I prayed that she was home.

When I reached her door, I pounded on it frantically. The door opened revealing an unfamiliar young man who looked vaguely like Sylvie. "Is Sylvie at home?" I questioned him frantically.

"My mother is not at home at the moment," the young man said, confused. I realized that he must be her son, Philippe. "If you leave your name, I can give her a message when she returns."

"My name is Enjolras," I told him. His eyes lit up with understanding. "Has a young woman with dark brown hair and a smile that can melt your heart visited here today?"

Philippe looked like he was about to answer, but he was interrupted by another voice. "Philippe, where does Sylvie keep the tea cups?" The voice was familiar, very familiar. The owner of the voice joined us. "I cannot find them anywh... Oh." Grantaire looked at me with wide eyes. He then looked down, ashamed.

"Grantaire, what are you doing here?" I inquired, the surprise of seeing him causing me to forget my anger.

"It is a rather long sto-" Grantaire began, but I did not allow him to finish.

"Never mind. Have you seen Éponine? She is not at home and she never disappears like this without at least an explanation."

Grantaire's eyebrows furrowed and he looked confused. "She was here earlier today, but she left over an hour ago," he informed me.

"You have not seen her since?" My panic increased and became dangerously close to hyperventilation.

"No we have not," Philippe said. He grabbed a forest green jacket and put it on. "We will help you search."

"Thank you so very much!" I exclaimed sincerely. The three of us hurried from the building. My companions followed me to Joly's home to see if he had seen Éponine.

The conversation with Joly was much the same as the conversation with Philippe and Grantaire had been, sans the surprise at seeing Grantaire. As an afterthought, Joly suggested we try looking for Éponine at Marius's flat. The idea that she might be with _Marius_, the very man with whom she had been in love since before we had even met, made me want to injure the man.

The trek to Marius's flat was filled with a tense silence. We arrived at our destination and I was about to pound on the door, but Philippe held me back. I looked at him angrily and opened my mouth to ask why in hell he had stopped me, but he spoke first.

"Maybe you should let one of us speak to this Marius," he suggested. "It is obvious to any fool, even to an outsider like myself, that you would gladly take all of your anger and anxiety out on him." I nodded, reluctantly relenting.

Joly knocked on the door. Seconds later, Marius was standing in the doorway. Before anyone could speak and waste precious time with small talk, I stood in front of Marius. "Have you seen Éponine?" I asked. Marius looked thoughtful.

"Not since yesterday," he informed me. "Why?"

"She has vanished without a trace," Joly explained. "She did not even leave Enjolras a note." Marius visibly paled. His concern, while would probably be very helpful in finding her, sent a pang of jealousy through my heart. It was obvious that he cared for her very much, whether or not even he realized how much, I was unsure. I then recalled their kiss, making me even more jealous. I pushed those feelings away. Éponine needed us both.

"Will you help us search for her?" I practically pleaded.

Marius nodded. "Of course. She is my best friend."

Our completed party set off to look for Éponine. Even though I have never been a very religious person, I sent up a silent prayer to whatever Powers-May-Be that Éponine was alright and I would find her soon.


	22. EXTREMELY Important author's note

**Hi guys. Sorry to be writing this. I really hate giving false hope, but it must be done. School starts in two weeks and I still have to write at least one essay, memorize the presidents of the United States in order, and be able to identify all of the states on a map, so I may not be able to update before school starts. I am working on chapters for both ****Flowers of Rain**** and ****Defying the Laws of Fiction**** and I already wrote a ton of chapters for ****The Truth Behind the Mask**** which I have not yet uploaded. Best case scenario is that I'll be able to update them, but it's very likely that I won't. **

**Also, I am an idiot because I am going to be taking 5 AP or honors classes this coming year. My only non AP or honors class is art, which should be fun. I'm not quite sure because I don't really like the idea of someone telling me how to draw for a whole year. I am going to be having a hell of a lot of homework this coming year, so I have absolutely no clue when I'll be able to update. **

**Despite the very likely chance that I will only be able to update on long weekends or school holidays, PLEASE don't give up on me or my stories. Your reviews and messages (iamthedaisyqueen gets a special shout out here, because that was seriously the nicest and most wonderful message I have ever gotten! Thanks so much for that!) are the only things that keep me from complete insanity and hyperventilation, because this school year seriously terrifies me. The only good things are seeing my friends again and my AWESOME backpack that I ordered on amazon yesterday.**

**Do you see why I'm so scared of the work load? My ADD is a major problem. **

**I have one last thing to say, I've started making wire-wrapped jewelry and have gotten quite good at it. (Sorry for the ego there, but it's true.) If you want to see pictures or possibly buy one, please message me. Okay, ad over.**

**I love you all so very much for your kindness and appreciation of my writing. **

**~Christine Éponine**


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